How do I comply with the Google and Yahoo requirements for email marketing deliverability?

When using email marketing for your business, you want to ensure that your emails are dropping into your subscriber’s inbox, and one way to do this is to ensure you are meeting the email deliverability requirements. Google and Yahoo have made some updates to the requirements, effective Feb. 1, 2024.

Here is a break down of those requirements:

1. Passing SPF and DKIM
2. Sending domains or IPs have valid forward and reverse DNS records
3. One-click unsubscribe (through headers)
4. Set up a DMARC policy for your sending domain (security measure that helps you protect your domain from being used by spammers) 
5. Domain in sender's from header must be aligned with either SPF or DKIM domain
6. Keep spam rates reported in Google Postmaster Tools below 0.1%
7. No more sending from gmail.com (ex: hello@gmail.com)

Why the extra measures: 

Spammers and phishers are at an all-time high, so Google and Yahoo are updating their requirements to email marketers who send out large bulks of emails at a time to ensure the emails are safe/secure and not spam. If these changes are not made, Google and Yahoo will begin sending a much larger portion of our emails to spam.

How to get started verifying your deliverability:

We recommend you reach out to your email service provider (Mailerlite, ActiveCampaign, etc) to ask them for a checklist or guidance around what they are doing to help with this transition and deliverability of users’ email marketing campaigns. You can also ask them what changes you specifically need to make. This is a good starting place.

For example, items 1-3 on the list above are covered by Convertkit, so there are only a few additional steps Convertkit users need to take to ensure compliance in all areas.

Bonus workshop for Startup Society members: Email Deliverability Workshop with Convertkit Expert Alyssa Dulin

Here’s what Alyssa covers inside: 

• What is email deliverability?
• What is changing?
• What are the new requirements?
• Why reduce spam complaint rates?
• Should I add images to my emails?
• How often should I send emails?

Tools to help you check your compliance:

• Google Toolbox: https://toolbox.googleapps.com/apps/checkmx/
• Dmarcian: https://dmarcian.com/domain-checker/
• Convertkit users: help@convertkit.com

Help articles and resources: 

• $100K office hour replay: Email deliverability changes and compliance
• Convertkit webinar replay: New Yahoo and Gmail Requirements
• Podcast episode: Deliverability Defined 
• Video tutorial: How to set up Google Workspace SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
• Google article: New Gmail Protections for a Safer Less Spammy Inbox
• Convertkit article: Gmail and Yahoo New Requirements and What to Expect
• Convertkit article: Verify Your Domain to Optimize Your Deliverability

A few visual examples:

How to check for a passing SPF, DKIM, and that the sending domains or IPs have valid forward and reverse DNS records (steps 1-2) and how to check for passing DMARC policy for your sending domain as well as that the domain in sender's “from” header is aligned with either SPF or DKIM domain (steps 4-5 above)

This is what the one-click unsubscribe in the header looks like (step 3 above)

How to check that you’re keeping reported spam rates below 0.1% in Google Postmaster Tools (register for postmaster tools, verify domain, see reported spam chart)